


Friends First

by AlexandraO



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Sirius Black Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 20:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13085109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexandraO/pseuds/AlexandraO
Summary: The last Hogsmeade weekend of the fall term is approaching and Ginny finds the courage to tell a certain blonde how she feels. After securing a date to the village, Ginny's stomach is in knots. She needn't have worried. The story of two friends becoming more.





	Friends First

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is my first attempt at a F/F fic and I am super excited about it! Hope you enjoy xx
> 
> HUGE kudos to my beta jhuffy — she is seriously a rockstar!

Ginny sat in the Great Hall with her friends during lunch as they laughed and talked, giddy about the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend as it was the last one before the Christmas holidays. Looking over at the Ravenclaw table, she saw the blonde she was looking for. Luna was sitting off by herself, staring at the enchanted ceiling, a starry-eyed look on her face. Ginny smiled. One of the things she loved about Luna was that she was always calm and collected; seemingly unworried about the world around her. Ginny considered herself the polar opposite.

“Ginny are you okay?” she heard Hermione ask.

Ginny looked at her best friend and smiled at her. “I’m good, just distracted.”

“By a certain blonde?” Hermione whispered, winking. Ginny felt her face heat up. She had been caught staring, but she shouldn’t be embarrassed; Hermione already knew all of her secrets. 

She bit her lip and nodded. Hermione giggled. “Well, better go get her then!” Hermione pointed toward the doors as Luna slowly sauntered out of the Great Hall.

She got up from the table and grabbed her rucksack, yelling a quick goodbye to her friends, wanting to catch Luna before they headed off to opposite ends of the castle for their last lessons of the day.

“Luna, wait up!” she called, running after her friend.

Luna turned and looked at her and Ginny nearly stumbled as she saw Luna’s dazzling smile.

“Hi, Ginny. Are you coming to ask about the Quibbler? We have been getting several questions about the recent revelation that Stubby Boardman and Sirius Black aren’t the same people. Poor Sirius.”

“Really? I’m sure he will be relieved. But I ran after you because I wanted to ask you something.”

Luna looked at her curiously. “Oh, are you finally going to ask me on a date?”

“Wha—What?” Ginny spluttered. “How did you know that?”

“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think I’m not paying attention. Don’t worry; I like you too. Meet me in front of the Great Hall tomorrow to go to Hogsmeade?” Luna asked.

“Yes!” Ginny shouted out, causing several first years to look at her curiously. She snapped her head around to them, and they scampered away immediately. “Sorry, didn’t mean to shout,” she continued, turning back to Luna.

“That’s quite alright Ginny. I am excited too.” Luna moved closer to her and placed a kiss on her cheek before she pulled away and skipped off to class.

Ginny placed her palm against her face, her cheek tingling from the contact. She grinned as it finally sunk in that she was going to go out with Luna Lovegood! She stood in a daze for a while before strands of students started pouring out of the Great Hall.

“So, did you do it?”

Ginny turned to find Hermione standing there curiously looking at her. Ginny was still recovering from the kiss Luna had placed on her cheek, so all she did was nod.

Hermione squealed with delight. “I’m so happy for you Gin! This has been a long time coming.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Hermione nodded in agreement as she jumped forward to loop Ginny’s arm through her own.

“We best be off to class. We can discuss details later,” Hermione said. They hurried off toward their classrooms, splitting up on the third floor. Ginny ran the rest of the way to Charms, just barely finding her seat before Professor Flitwick called the class to attention. 

She had a difficult time concentrating during class. . All her thoughts kept trailing back to Luna. She couldn’t believe it! She was actually going out tomorrow with Luna Lovegood. Professor Flitwick had called her out multiple times for not paying attention, but she couldn’t care less at the moment. As soon as Charms was over, Ginny rushed up to Gryffindor tower to meet Hermione.

She crawled through the portrait hole and ran up to her room to drop off her bag. As soon as she was making her way back into the common room, the portrait hole opened, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry all trudged in. Harry collapsed into a nearby chair, while Ron fell onto the couch. Hermione just made her way to a nearby table and dropped her bag, motioning for Ginny to follow.

“What’s up with them?” Ginny questioned Hermione as she took her seat across from her.

“Divination. I’m not sure what happened, but they are always mentally exhausted after that class,” Hermione explained. 

“It’s probably from having to explain all their fake prediction homework,” Ginny said, giggling. “Serves them right. They should have dropped that horrid class right after their fifth year.”

“Too true. But enough about them. Fill me in!” Hermione leaned in closer, so she didn’t have to speak too loud. She was grateful for the gesture. She wasn’t quite ready to tell her brother — although he would find out tomorrow and Harry, well, she wasn’t sure how he would react. 

Hermione must have caught her staring at her brother and Harry and tried to reassure her. “Ginny, don’t worry about them. They might be a little confused about the situation at first, but I know they’ll be happy for you.”

Ginny nodded. “You’re right.”

“Of course, I am! Now, tell me what happened earlier when you approached Luna. I need all the details!”

“Okay, okay,” Ginny said, as she gave Hermione a play-by-play of the entire conversation. Hermione was the best listener — always gasping and giggling in the right places. When she got to the part about Luna kissing her cheek, Hermione completely jumped out of her seat, screaming in happiness.

“She did not!”

“She did,” Ginny smiled, placing her hand against her cheek once more, reminiscing on the kiss. She looked up at the curly-haired witch who was still standing,tears now running down her face.

She jumped up immediately. “Hermione, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just so happy for you,” she sniffed into Ginny’s shoulder, hugging her tight. “You just seemed so lonely after…” She trailed off. Ginny knew what she meant. She and Harry had broken things off the year before, and although they had mutually agreed to do so, it had taken its toll on their friendship. To be honest, they were much better off as friends, and she was happy for him. He had moved on and was currently dating Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin in his year.

“Hermione, please stop crying. Ron is giving us weird looks. He probably thinks I did something to you. I swear he is still convinced that I don’t like you.”

Hermione laughed. “Sorry, Gin. I am just so happy for you.”

“Just for the record, I am happy for you too,” she said, briefly looking over at her brother before turning back to Hermione. “He is madly in love with you, you know.”

“I know,” Hermione whispered. “I am madly in love with him too.” Hermione left it at that and sauntered over to Ron and collapsed in his lap, snuggling her face into the crook of his neck. Ginny turned away. She might like them together, but she didn’t need to see them snogging.

Ginny was still in a blissful state as she walked up to the sixth year girls’ dormitory and collapsed on her bed. Her face was starting to hurt from all the smiling she had done over the past few hours. With several hours left until dinner she drifted off to sleep, the blonde Ravenclaw plaguing her dreams.

“Ginny, wake up! It’s time for dinner!” she heard a voice calling. She opened her eyes and squinted toward the door. It was Hermione.

“Come on Gin! I know you’re hungry.” If the brunette was anything, it was persistent. Ginny knew if she didn’t get up now, Hermione would drag her out of her bed. She quickly hopped out of bed and changed into casual clothes, uniforms no longer required after lessons finished on Fridays.

With a quick look in the mirror, she followed Hermione down the stairs to the common room. At the foot of the stairs, Harry and Ron were both waiting.

“Okay, let’s go,” Ron said, almost running to the portrait hole. Ginny had to keep from rolling her eyes at her brother. The two things he focused on most were food and Hermione, usually in that order.

They were some of the last students to enter the hall for dinner; almost all the tables were full. The squeezed onto the bench in between some fifth and seventh years, including Neville, Seamus, and Dean.

Dinner was a loud and boisterous affair; everyone excited for the weekend. The house elves had also treated them to a favorite autumn treat — sweet potato pound cake. Full and sleepy, they headed back to the common room to wind down before returning to their dormitories. She sat down with Hermione on the sofa in front of the fire as Ron and Harry played Wizarding Chess.

“Ready for tomorrow?” Hermione asked.

“I am just a little nervous,” Ginny admitted. “But that’s normal right?”

Hermione nodded. “I think first dates are always scary. I remember when I dated Viktor. The first time we were alone together, I was terrified. You’ll be okay though. Just be yourself. Luna already admitted she liked you, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“True. I think I’m just nervous that it won’t work out. We are perfect as friends, and I don’t want to ruin that friendship by trying to be together romantically.”

“You’ll never know unless you try. If your friendship doesn’t last past the relationship, then maybe you weren’t true friends to begin with.”

“I hope it never reaches the point where we need to find out,” Ginny said, pushing off the back of the couch to stand. “I’m going to head to bed. See you tomorrow Hermione.”

“Goodnight Ginny,” Hermione replied, waving at her as she left the common room. To her relief, no one stopped her on her way up the stairs. Her stomach was turning from nervousness, and she knew she was worrying for nothing, but she couldn’t help it.

After changing into her pajamas and going through her nighttime regime, she laid down and pulled her covers up to her chin. She willed her mind to be still so she could sleep. Tossing and turning, she never could get comfortable. Looking at the clock, she groaned realizing time was only inching along. Just a few hours had passed since she laid down — it was going to be a long night.

The rest of the night passed just as the first few hours. She tossed and turned, her mind reeling about the next day. Even counting sheep couldn’t stop the abundance of thoughts swirling around in her mind. She was sure that her mind had played out every potential lousy scenario for the next day. 

As dawn broke, Ginny gave up trying to sleep and decided to get ready for the day. Only after taking a quick shower, dressing for a chilly winter day and drying her hair did she make her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were only a few other students in the hall at the time; mostly students who were up early studying for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was already up, a book propped up against a jug of orange juice as she took several bites of toast.

Ginny joined her and reached for toast. She didn’t think her stomach would be able to handle much more. She was still letting her nerves get the best of her.

“Alright, Ginny?” Hermione asked, looking up from her book.

“Just nervous,” Ginny croaked out. Pouring a glass of water, she drank deeply, her dry throat thanking her for the moisture.

“It will be okay, Ginny. You’ll see. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Hermione had grabbed Ginny’s hand in comfort as she spoke. It was a nice gesture, but she didn’t think any kind words or encouragement would help calm her nerves at this exact moment. In fact, Ginny knew for sure that her nerves could only be calmed by a calming draught or maybe Felix Felicis. She wanted neither.

Hermione went back to her book, and Ginny continued to munch on toast, only taking small bites at a time. An hour later, Ginny was lying on the bench closing her eyes.

“Ginny! What are you doing?” she heard a loud voice bellow. She opened one eye. It was Ron. She sat up, making room for both him and Harry.

“You alright Ginny?” Harry asked, sliding onto the bench next to her.

She nodded. “I’m good, Harry. Just tired.”

“Alright then. There’s still time before we are allowed to leave for the village if you want to go back up to the common room and get some sleep. It’s probably pretty empty now,” Harry said, pointing toward the hall’s doors. A swarm of students was walking in, a significant number of them Gryffindors.

“I’m okay. Thanks though.” Harry nodded and turned away from her, engaging Seamus and Dean in a conversation about Quidditch. The winter Quidditch season was currently in full swing, teams playing in indoor arenas all over the world. Normally Ginny would jump at the chance to talk about Quidditch, but her mind was elsewhere at the moment. She wasn’t in the right state of mind to enjoy Quidditch talk.

Her heart jumped an extra beat as she looked toward the entrance and saw Luna walking into the Great Hall. She watched as the blonde walked across the hall and took a seat at the Ravenclaw table next to Michael Corner. Ginny didn’t care if she got caught staring, the fact that she liked girls would be all over the school by nightfall anyways.

Ginny, tired of sitting in the Great Hall, made her way to Entrance Hall to wait for Luna. Too giddy and nervous to sit, she walked around looking at the portraits she had never bothered to be interested in before.

“Hullo, Ginny,” she heard Luna’s dreamy voice say. She turned around, and immediately her nerves evaporated upon seeing how cheerful Luna was.

“Hi, Luna! Are they letting students go down to the village now?” she asked.

“Yes. Professor McGonagall just released us. Which reminds me, I need to speak with her later. I can see the Nargles floating around and affecting her.”

“We should go down now then so that we can be back in time for you to talk to her,” Ginny suggested. 

“You’re right. Let’s go,” Luna said, looping her arm through Ginny’s. Luna usually skipped everywhere, so Ginny was surprised when she walked. To be honest, she was grateful. She wasn’t the skipping type, though she thought it was cute when Luna did it, her blonde hair bouncing behind her.

They walked down the village and stopped before all of the shops. 

“Where shall we go first?” Ginny asked. She didn’t care where they went and wanted to make sure they did what Luna wanted to do.

“It’s a bit chilly out. How about we go into Madam Puddifoot’s and get some hot chocolate?” Luna suggested, tightening her house scarf around her neck. Ginny hesitated only for a moment. After being spotted inside the romantic tea shop, everyone would know for sure. Was she ready for that? She didn’t need to ask herself twice. Luna grabbed her hand and pulled her into the small shop, which had been decorated for Christmas It was nearly empty and they snagged a booth in the far corner.

Luna slid into the booth and patted the seat right next to her. Ginny didn’t hesitate and immediately took the seat next to Luna. Their knees touching, Ginny felt a surge go through her body, a warmness taking over. Instead of feeling nervous, she felt content. She glanced upwards and noticed mistletoe above the booth. 

“I’ve heard that nargles just love mistletoe.” Ginny quietly commented. Luna beamed at her. Before either girl could say anything else, they were approached by matronly woman who owned the quaint shop.

“What can I get for you two sweethearts?” asked Madam Puddifoot as she squeezed her way to the table. Ginny went to correct her, but Luna beat her to the punch in responding to the owner. It was probably for the best. She would probably end up getting her foot stuck in her mouth, ruining her date and chances with Luna for good.

“We’ll have two hot chocolates with whipped topping, please,” Luna said, politely.

“I’ll be right back,” the smiling woman told them, walking away to retrieve their order.

Luna just smiled at Ginny and grabbed her hand, rubbing her thumb soothingly over it. Ginny smiled back and squeezed her hand in return.

They were perfectly happy sitting in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Madam Puddifoot returned moments later with the steaming cups of hot chocolate.

“Anything else, dearies?” They both shook their heads in response, already bringing the hot chocolate to their lips. She sauntered off, leaving them to themselves. The hot chocolate was too hot to drink and Ginny set it aside. Luna did the same.

“Ginny?”

“Yeah, Luna?”

“I really like you,” Luna said, her face flushing. Ginny was in awe of the girl sitting across from her. She was in Ravenclaw, yet so brave, kind and caring. Everything Ginny was looking for in a friend and partner.

“I really like you too Luna,” Ginny replied. Luna leaned in close, her lips oh so close to Ginny’s. Before Ginny could think about it further, she placed a chaste kiss on Luna’s lips. Then, she quickly pulled back. “Sorry,” she said, almost embarrassed by what had just happened. She felt her face warm up, a blush creeping up from her neck.

“Don’t be sorry, Ginny,” Luna said, running her fingers across her lips. “I liked that. A lot.” Luna leaned in again and returned the kiss, this time deepening it. When they finally pulled away from each other, Ginny rested her forehead against Luna’s and let her thoughts drift around what had just happened. She decided that kissing a woman was much more enjoyable than kissing a man. It was certainly a new experience for her, but she was eager to experience it again.

Ginny and Luna spent the rest of the afternoon, cuddled in the corner booth, away from the prying eyes of others. They laughed some, kissed some more and were oblivious to those around them. It was a romance in the making. 


End file.
